ICC congratulates Pakistan for successfully staging Independence Cup

Pakistan who are the defending ICC Champion trophy winners took on the World XI which was led by Faf du Plessis, beat the visitors 2-1 in the T20 series to lift the Independence Cup.

Hosting of this short cricket series is a major step towards the revival of cricket in Pakistan and to convivence the other countries to play cricket in Pakistan.

Du Plessis led a World XI in a three-match Twenty20 worldwide series in Lahore over the past five days as Pakistan showcased the cricketing world its capabilities to host global matches after eight years.

Former West Indies skipper Sir Richie Richardson was the designated ICC match-referee for all the three games at Lahore. This is primarily because Pakistan managed to successfully host a series after a gap of two years. The same firm had conducted a security review prior to the visit of the World XI.

The efforts of the ICC and the PCB had already started bearing fruit before the series had even begun when Sri Lanka and the West Indies agreed to visit the country later this year.

Since then the country has only played minor worldwide matches on home soil against Zimbabwe, Kenya and Afghanistan.

Addressing a press conference along with PCB head Najam Sethi, President of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Dave Cameron confirmed that the Carribean side would play three T20s in November.

The likes of Darren Sammy were paid up to $50,000 for the PSL final

The decision to hold the Independence Cup in Lahore has helped the desired objective - to convey to the world that situation in Pakistan was normal against the sustained propaganda campaign by its detractors and the perception built overseas due to terror-related incidents.

ICC chief executive Dave Richardson said on Wednesday that there will be much more needed from Pakistan to normalize global cricket in its own backyard.

Former New Zealand batsman Grant Elliott, part of the World XI squad on Pakistan tour on Friday said that the security arrangement is "amazing" and hoped to see the return of Test cricket to the country.

"They were so pleased, saying thank you, and they were so excited by the players being there".

Darren Sammy as always loved playing in Pakistan and his smile says it all!

While the Independence Cup is a good beginning to the ultimate goal of the PCB, it will take baby-steps for worldwide cricket to return in a big way to the country.